


Mama Bear

by FullmetalSunshine (Baekhanded)



Series: Royed OTPoly [10]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Animal Attack, Light Angst, M/M, Memories, Repressed Memories, maimingbut not graphic and theres no blood, nikko is there, roy is a good s/o
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:09:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25991125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baekhanded/pseuds/FullmetalSunshine
Summary: It was supposed to be a simple hike, but buried memories unearth a memory that shouldn't be remembered during the heat of battle.
Relationships: Edward Elric/Roy Mustang
Series: Royed OTPoly [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1814119
Kudos: 18
Collections: RoyEd OTPoly 2020





	Mama Bear

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly big shoutout to my Krystal and Kibs! They really helped me out with this one!

It was just supposed to be a damn hike. Yeah maybe they shouldn’t be hiking in Drachma, but the Drachmans did it all the time! Hell that’s how some of them had to get around! That’s how Nikko would get around places! Ed had heard his tales, and he even  _ believed  _ them! The Drachman people were made of sturdy stuff and Ed respected the hell out of at least one of them. It wasn’t just because he had securely taken hold of his brother’s heart and was not just treating it tenderly, but he protected it fiercely. Ed had only seen that love in his  _ own  _ heart when it came to his brother.

But no- he didn’t need to think about that, he needed to think about how he was fucking  _ stranded  _ and useless and panicking wasn’t going to help anything even though his heart was beating so fast it was making hsi vision blurry. Or maybe that was adrenaline? The fact he didn’t even know was pretty telling probably. Panic probably, it was a strong thing and the last time he’d seen that- no, no Ed don’t think about it.

“Breathe, Edward, it’s alright.” Thank fuck he wasn’t alone. He’d be bear chow if he was. “You’re safe- I’m safe. We’re both alright.”   


  
He gasped in another breath.

  
  
“Out now, darling. You know how to breathe.” His hand was on his back and he felt another hand tilt his head up and he zeroed in on a face that was barely containing its own worry. He felt the other hold and steady his weight with that one hand while the other left his face and moved Ed’s own to his chest. To give him a measure to follow. His breaths were more like gasps but it was helping and the moment he got a grasp on it he fell forward and pressed into the other’s chest. 

It was - he was pathetic, he was beyond pathetic. They hadn’t even gotten hurt- not really but. He just- he couldn’t deal with it. Guess he’d pushed those emotions and feelings down so far into a box, but he’d miscalculated and it was a jack-in-the-box. One moment of pressure and...boom.

__

_ It was a really...well a lovely day for Drachma. It wasn’t too cold and it wasn’t snowing and the sun was actually shining, not a single cloud in sight. They were on some weird family get together and it was only fair they came up to Drachma for Nikko and his family (which was a group of thugs) when they spent most of the time in Amestris or Xing. It wasn’t horrible either, it was actually kind of great. It had taken a while for Ed to get used to Nikko’s family, in the sense of he threatened them all the moment they met because they called him pocket fun size.  _

_ They hit it off immediately and Ed loved them all. Somehow the reaction of him being called short and humor was the equation for friendship. It definitely didn’t hurt that they all adored his brother as well, and Nikko wouldn’t let anyone say anything...sleazy about him. Hell he didn’t let them say anything bad or targeted about any of them. Ed respected the hell out of Nikko, even he got a shiver up his spine when the other’s eyes turned glinty.  _

_ But that hadn’t happened in a long time, and Roy had suggested they go for a hike, considering it wasn’t miserable outside. It’d been a great trip when it came to weather alone, the worst they’d had was a gentle snowfall and a couple run in s with black ice where everyone had sworn they’d broken their ass when they inevitably slipped trying to help Roy who went first. Ed hadn’t seen anything wrong with it, thought it actually sounded like a good idea, so they went. It should have just been a few hours. Four to six max. They were experienced and loved the outdoors and...well unexpected things happened. _

_ And Elrics had the worst luck. _

_ __ _

Roy had tucked him close and Ed was counting heartbeats while he slowly started taking out the loose metal. Eventually he’d try to find a wrench, when Ed was willing to be out of arm's reach, but he was shrapnel and Roy was flesh. Ed stared with dim eyes as he carefully pulled torn wires from the mess at his thigh and pulled the less dangerous pieces of jagged metal hanging from other jagged pieces. He should let him go, the longer he kept these on the more chance Roy would get hurt.

He took a deep breath and leaned away, just a bit. “Find a wrench…” Roy passed a careful hand through his loose hair and left him. Balance was hard but Ed had dealt with worse- less. He gathered up the pieces of himself before Roy could get hurt on them and tossed them into a bucket beside the fireplace. At least it was warm. If he had damn frostbite along with this...well he’d be a lot worse off...mentally.

Roy returned quickly and without fanfare detached the two stumps of his arm and leg from their ports. Winry would kill him… Roy put them into the bucket along with the tiny bits and Ed- god he wanted to just leave his body. He had to have Roy help him onto his only remaining leg, had to swallow the feelings of uselessness that came along with using another person he loved as a crutch. At least this time he only had to take a handful of hops to a bed. 

  
  
He let Roy help him strip down, they were both still in decidedly damp clothes and guilt swirled in his gut and made nausea get worse and worse.

Roy helped him into the bed, helped him settle, wouldn’t let him turn away. Held him close and stared into his eyes, carded a hand through his hair.

Edward didn’t deserve this man’s love. Couldn’t he see he was a sad broken thing? Just leave him here with all the other sad broken things.

__

_ In a blink things changed. One wrong move and the woods changed from a trail to nonsense. Elric luck came out in full force when snow started to fall, and clouds continued to cover the sky and flurries fell harder and harder, a vengeance upon the poor souls outside of their houses. _

_ It wasn’t that bad at first. They had been in a handful of storms before. Snow, sand, lightning, rain. They were old pros! They had a history of survival and could find their way  _ somewhere  _ Ed wasn’t worried. He trusted Roy and he believed in himself.  _

_ Then he heard a growl and his blood froze before any of his metal limbs could. Weren’t they supposed to be hibernating? Didn’t all bears hibernate in the winter? Was it even winter? His mind whirled a mile a minute and only kicked back into gear as a large angry white bear stomped between where they were and where they wanted to be. _

_ Ed trusted Roy, but Ed loved Roy even more. He knew the facts; the man was all flesh and blood and bone. Ed was only half. He was hard metal and electrical wires. When the bear came charging, Ed’s only call was to push Roy out of the way.  _

_ Roy’s luck came into play when the bear grabbed a metal leg instead of a flesh one. They’d really be in trouble if he’d lost them both. But that kicked his fight or light into gear, and Edward was a fighter. The bear shook him and the sound of metal crunching and creaking was loud. Ed reared up and kneed the beast in the throat, not giving it a second to recover before punching as hard as he could into the Bear’s head. He’d miscalculated and hit behind it’s ear instead, closer to the neck again. As he tried to go for another his arm went straight into teeth.  _

_ He couldn’t say what Roy was doing in this brief time other than inevitably saving his ass. The bear threw him just a foot or so, charging back in and Ed’s leg had come up to protect him. The bear had torn it, teeth digging in above the knee and tearing back, falling into the grooves on his knee and pulling it clean off. _

_ Well not clean. It was a mess of jagged edges. It’s downfall in the end. But that had triggered a memory and Ed had gone still. Staring wide eyed the bear came back for more and Ed raised his arms in protection. The bear grabbed him at the upper arm, roaring in muffled outrage at more metal. It shook him and tore that off too.  _

_ Ed couldn’t see or hear Roy, thinking dumbly the other had fled- relief flooded through him and he only tried to crawl away for a foot or two.  _

_ If Roy was safe...that was what mattered. Nikko would take care of Al...it would be alright. _

_ He truly left his body as a bear's agonied roar echoed in the silent forest around them. _

_ __ _

“Can you tell me what happened, darling…?” Roy’s voice was soft and his hand was gently caressing Ed’s face.

His eyes had gotten a bit of their shine back, and it remained even as he closed them. 

“It- I didn’t remember before but...that's...how I lost them to begin with…”

  
  
“Your limbs?” he sounded shocked and Ed laughed mirthlessly.

“I know I told you I didn’t remember, and I didn’t- not till I was in the exact same position...Or...not exactly the same.” He took a deep breath and told the story as he remembered it. “You know...I was 11 when mom died, Al was 10...there was some woods near our house, and we liked to play in it cause there was a nice river there and summer was miserable. Well...one day we weren’t alone- we’d gotten too close to a den probably. It’s almost funny, it was the same situation for both of us. She had cubs she wanted to protect.

I had Al. But I was 11, and no match for a full grown mama bear...It was one bite- I pushed Al out of the way and she had my leg. She crunched right through the bone and I don’t remember much besides screaming and blood and bear bear bear…

Al’s screaming had gotten our mom’s attention but there was little that could be done...mama bear had gotten me again and- well Al whacked her with a stick-'' a laugh, wet as tears started to flow, “mom came then with an even bigger one. She yelled for Al to get me and go to Pinako’s...They’re- they’re doctors y'know? And...well she didn’t come back and they had to remove more of what the bear took cause it was...well shredded...I just- I panicked. All I could hear was Al screaming and crying and just-” 

  
  
He shakes his head and Roy pulls him to his chest. “You’re safe now...Al’s safe...I’m safe...There’s a reason the phrase mama bear exists, your mom was one too. Don’t Edward, don’t make yourself sick with this, alright?” He carefully tilted Ed’s head up and pressed a kiss to his forehead, each eye before he reached his lips, stopping the stuttered gasps before they started. 

They were safe, and tomorrow would be a new kind of hell trying to get home…

But at least they were both alive- they were all alive…

He hadn’t lost any more.

He was still whole.

__   
  
The morning after was bright, and there were birds and Ed thought they had a lot of nerve. It was slow going, but Ed allowed Roy to let himself be a crutch until they found a stick good enough to manipulate into something more of a crutch. They’d had to take some things from the cabin Roy had found, but they’d left some cenz and Ed had a pretty great snow crutch.

When he got tired Roy knew, and pushed him until he lay down. Hell he even physically picked him up and carried him a couple of times. 

“You’re actually a lot lighter than I ever thought you were! I was generous with calling you a half pint!” the insults were worth the snow they fell into laughing.

“You’re such a bastard how can you make fun of me when I'm missing  _ limbs!”  _ Ed yelled but it was undermined by how hard he was laughing and the snow he was shoving down the other’s shirt.

Roy was squealing quite high in pitch, “You’ve always been missing limbs dear heart!”

  
  
It was a wonder Al and Nikko found them and not bear round two.

The only thing stopping tears from falling was the snow around them and the surprisingly fervent curses coming out of Al’s mouth.

  
  
Wet laughter and a brother shaped crutch later, and maybe a couple of instances of being carried by two very annoying dark haired significant bothers found them home. It found them warm. 

The next day they’d worry about replacements. The next day they’d worry about Winry and explanations that Roy would inevitably handle while Ed passed out after a warm bath, a warm meal, and a warm bed snuggled close with his brother who hadn’t let go of him since they’d gotten home safely. 


End file.
